Deputies: Florida man killed wife and kids, then self

Deputies: Florida man killed wife and kids, then self

May 9th, 2014by Associated Press in Local - Breaking News

This aerial photo shows the burned out home owned by James Blake on Thursday in Tampa, Fla. Authorities have said they think the fire at the five-bedroom home was intentionally set and that they found fireworks inside the home.

Photo by
Associated Press
/Times Free Press.

TAMPA, Fla. - A Florida man shot his wife and two teenage children in the head, then scattered gasoline and fireworks around the mansion they rented before setting the home ablaze and killing himself, deputies said Friday.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Col. Donna Lusczynski said at a news conference Friday that Darrin Campbell had purchased fireworks, gas cans and gasoline in the days before the family was killed.

Campbell shot his wife, Kimberly, 19-year-old son Colin Campbell and teenage daughter Megan each in the head with a.40-caliber handgun he bought last year before setting the house on fire and shooting himself in the head.

"This is certainly disturbing," Lusczynski said.

Investigators are still working to determine what drove Darrin Campbell to kill his family.

Lusczynski said the sheriff's office had not been investigating Campbell before the killings and did not know of any other agencies that may have been investigating him. Campbell had no criminal record before his death.

Investigators are looking into the family's finances and going through records found in the home, Lusczynski said.

The Campbells had been renting the 6,000-square-foot home from James Blake, a former professional tennis player. The million-dollar home was located in Avila, a gated community known for its resident sports stars and CEOs. Located on one of Tampa's most exclusive streets, in one of its most secure, tony neighborhoods, the five-bedroom, five-bath home had a pool and spa, and was graced by tall palm trees.

Campbell had been an executive for several high-profile businesses, including a stint at PODS, the mobile storage company. He was most recently working at a records management firm and volunteering as treasurer at his children's private school. His wife, Kimberly, was a stay-at-home mom, according to her father, Gordon Lambie.